Have you ever wondered what you can do in advance of a livestreaming event?

We’ve received a ton of tips and tricks from videographers on ways to prepare for a successful livestream. Some you may have tried and some you may not have thought of! Here are the top best practices that experts have shared with us:

Research is Key

Take a close look at all the livestreaming providers and pick the one that will work best for your event—it could be Facebook, YouTube or a completely different service. Make sure you understand the limitations of each broadcast destination. Things to consider include max bit rate, keyframe interval, resolution, simultaneous streams and chat function.

Wi-Fi or Ethernet?

An ethernet connection to the Internet is typically more reliable than a Wi-Fi connection. In the case of SlingStudio, the USB-C Expander provides an ethernet port providing flexibility between both wireless and wired.

Use an Internet speed checker to confirm your connection is fast enough—an upload speed of 10 megabits per second or above is ideal. Take note that a shared Internet connection could slow down your speed significantly.

Check Your Surroundings

Look for any interference around the area you plan to shoot and test for the most optimal placement. Keep in mind there could be physical obstacles such as walls, concrete and metal obstacles or unexpected issues with competing data signals and strong magnetic fields.

Raise it up!

Elevate your SlingStudio Hub or other streaming device to 6 feet or higher to help ensure a strong data signal and ultimately a good audio/video streaming experience. Raising the device won’t help the signal go through walls or floors but can make a big difference. Also, make sure all smartphones stream with their displays facing the streaming device to help maximize your wireless range.

Start Early and Be a Viewer Too

Coordinate a livestream event with your streaming service ahead of time. It will simplify setup on location and allow you to share your event before it starts. It can also be useful to start the livestream early with a bumper video or graphic—this lets you test the stream, advertise, and adapt to live events that may start early.

Another great tip is to always monitor your livestream using a smartphone or tablet and watch your stream the same way that a viewer would. You may decide to make a tweak here or there depending on what you see on your end.

Be Prepared for Anything!

We all know there are those days when nothing seems to go as planned at an event. Bringing backup cameras, iPads and other critical equipment can provide an important security blanket. You can never be overprepared so think of every item that might be useful on your shoot and pack it up.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user who wants a refresher, check out our next blog post featuring simple steps to livestream an event using SlingStudio and the Console App.